Dimming-device.



R. E. REED.

DIMMING DEVICE.

APPUCATION men NOV. a. 1916.

Patented June 5, 191 7.

UNITED STATES r rnnir OFFICE:

BOY E. REED, 0F RIPON, WISCONSIN.

DIMMING DEVICE.

Application filed November 8, 1916. Serial No. 130,249.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I'tor E. Reno, a citizen ot' the United States, and a resident of llipon, in the county of Fond du Lac and State of \Ylsconsin, have invented certain new and useful In'lprovements in Dimming Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a dimming device. for regulating electric lights, such as head-lights and other lights, more especially for use in connection with the lights of automobiles, and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a dimmino' device of the kind described, which is o l simple and economical construction; which is readily and easily applied to any motor vehicle, either in the initial construction of such "ehicle or at any time afterward; and which includes a controlling member conveniently placed near the steering Wheel and preferably near the usual en gine controlling arms located'thereon.

The advantages of my improvement will appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view representing a side elevation of the steering post of an automobile, with my improved dimming device attached to it, and with the head-lights, battery and electric conductors and other connections indicated diagrammatically.

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal, central section through the dimming device on an enlarged. scale. v

Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the same Fig. & is a view representing on a still larger scale, a transverse section. through the device in a plane indicated by the line- L--i of Fig. 2.

My improved dimming device comprises in general a resistance unit or member which is interposed in the electric circuit that supplies the head-lights or other lights of the vehicle, and a controlling member, associated with the resistance unit, in such manner that resistance, variable at the will of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5. 13,1

operator, may be out into the said electric circuit to vary the intensity of the lights. i leferrlng now to that embodiment of my; invention illustrated in the dra\ vings': -t(l" indicates the steering post and 11 theste'er ing wheel of an automobile or other motor vehicle. 12, 12 indicate the lights,- inthis case the head-lights of the vehicle; 13 indicates the battery or other source of eu'rrei'it for the supply of the lights; and'l, l5 indif cate the line Wires leading from said batter to. the lamps. I

16 indicates the dimming device whole. Said device has an incl0sing"c'asin consisting of an elongated, tubular para. 53 17 and of top and bottom end caps" 18, '19. \Vithin the barrel 17 is placed a helical coiled wire 20,1madeof resistance' niateifiiil and constituting the resistance unit"o f"tli' device. Insulation tubes 21, 22 are plated? the first Without the coil, to insulate it' 'trbiii the barrel, and the second, within tli'efcoiltq insulate the coil from the parts witliiitt barrel- The inner insulation tube 22 pi vided with a longitudinal slot 23, which' tends longitudinally of the barrel and when uncovers the coil throughout the lengtltiirid width of said slot. and exposes the-seeders of said coil to engagement by a switch intern ber presently to be described. "*j The outer sleeve 21 extends 'the fii'll length of thebarrel. The inner insulation sleeve extends to the end of theiba rel at the top, but terminates shortof thefbot} tom end of the barrel. The top ends of he insulation sleeves are held apart" arid proper spacedrelation, by means ofa' s ing collar .25. *In the bottom end 'of the barrel. within the outer insulation. slecveQI, is located an insulation plug 26, *hich'fhas a reduced end 27 which engages -ivithin"and gives support to the bottom end of tli'e? iiifiir insulation sleeve. The insulation plug 26 is attached by scr'ervs or in any other-eonvenient manner, to'a f latring 28 rest-in 611 the'botton cap 19. v 10o procoil 20, being extended up through a passage 31 in the insulation plug 26. The other section of the line wire is electrically connected to the metal disk 28, thus placin it in circuit with the barrel. The top en of the resistance coil is extended, as indicated at 32, through a hole in the inner insulation sleeve 22 and bent up in such fashion as tois held .within the barrel by means of a.

coiled expansion spring 35, which is interposed .between the top cap 18 and a pin 36 fixed to the shaft. An arm 37 is fixed to the end of the shaft which projects beyond the barrel. Within the barrel there is fixed to the shaft, a spring metal toothed comb 38. The teeth 39 are' blunted or rounded and are sufficiently long that they will bearclosely against the surface of the inner insulation sleeve, as the shaft 33 is rotated in either direction, and, when they are brought into radial alinement with the spiral slot 23, will extend through said slot and engage a section or sections of the resistance coil 20. The metal comb. as shown is fixed between two sections of the shaft... Preferably, the

shaft 18 is split longitudinally-in the plane of its longitudinal axis and the comb is fixed between the two parts which are heldtogether by pins or rivets 40.

The toothed metal comb 38 and the slot 23 in the'insulation sleeve 22 are so corre-' lated as to form (the slot,-as illustrated being spiral and the ,comb being parallel to its axis of revolution),that as the comb is revolved about the axis of the casing, the teeth 39 of the comb will becaused in succession to come into radial alinement with the slot 23 and to engage through said slot with a section of the resistance coil; The comb may thus be caused to bring any desired number of sectipns of the resistance coil into the circuit, thus varying the resistance therein.

' In order to make the operation of the teeth of the comb smooth and easy as they pass from the inner surface of the inner insulation .tube to engagement through the slot with the resistancecoil, the edges of the slot .are chamfered or skived, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The top surface of the cap 18 is preferably provided with a graduated are 41 with which is associated a pointer 42, carried by the hub of the arm 37 Pins 43, 44 are fixed at the top of the cap in arcuate alinement with the path of movement of the pointer 41, and act as stops to limit the movement of the arm 37. The arcuate'distance between the pins 43, 44 is made greater than the arc through which the spiral slot 23 is continued. Thus, when the arm is swung to move the pointer 42 into engagement with the pin 43 (in the example of the construction illustrated) the circuit will be broken, since the comb will be swung beyond a position in which any of its teeth can engage through the slot 23 with the resistance coil 20. When the arm is swung to carry the pointer toward the other pin, the full length of the resistance coil will be brought at first into the circuit, and gradually, as the pointer approaches the other pin, the len h of. said resistance coil in the circuit will e reduced. The light is thus, in this movement of the arm, put on gradually and finally brought to complete brilliancy, which it reaches when the pointer strikes the other pin 44 and thus elirlninates the entire length of the resistance coi I claim as my invention:

1. A dimmin device adapted to be interposed in the line circuit of electric lights for motor vehicles and the like, comprising a casing, a resistance coil placed within and insulated from said casing, an insulating sleeve within said casing having a slot extending longitudinally of the casing, and a brush device having teeth adapted to expand radially in said casing and to project through said slot into engagement with said resistance coil, said brush and casing being rotati've, the one with respect to the other and said slot and brush being'correlated in form to bring the teeth of the brush in successive alinement with said slot in said rotative movement.

2. A dimming device adapted to be in-' terposed in the line circuit of electric lights for motor vehicles and the like comprising a casing, a resistance coil placed within and insulated from said casing, an insulating sleeve within said casing having a spiral slot extending longitudinally of the casing, and a brush device mounted in said casing,

said brush and casing'being rotative, the one with respect to the other, and said brush device having radially expansible teeth adapted to be brought by said rotative movement into engagement through said slot with successive sections of saidresistance coil.

3. A dimming device adapted to be inter- "posed in the line circuit of electric lights for motor vehicles comprising a casing, a resistance coil placed .withinand insulated from said casing, an insulating sleeve fixed in said casin within said coil and having a spiral. slot w ich extendslongitudinally of t e casing, a brush device rotatively mounted in said casing, said brush device having alined flexible teeth which are adapted to be brought into engagement with successive secresistance coil within said casing, an insutions of said coil by engagement with that gagement with-that art ofsaid coil exposed part of said coil exposed by said spiral slot to the teeth by! sai spiral slot when said when said brush device is rotated and means; shaft is rotated: and a handle fixed to said without said casing for rotating said brush shaft without device. l shaft.

4. A dimming device ada" ted to be interdimming device adapted to be interposed in the line circuit of-e ectric lights for o'sed }in the line circuit of electric lights motor vehicles comprising a casing, a helior motor vehicles com rising a tubular cascal resistance coil withi d insulated from ing closed at its ends y caps, a helical resaid casing, an insuhrtiii sl ithin said sistance coil in said casing an insulating coil and having a spiral s 0t extending longi-" sleeve btween said casing and said resistance tudinally of said casing, a shaft journa'led. boil, an insulating pluglin one end of said in and arranged coaxiall of said casing,a casi-n having a meta ic contact member brush member fixed to said shaft, said brush engaging the ad'acent cap, an insulating member having alined flexible teeth which sleeve withimsai resistance coil, and bearare adapted to be brought into enga ement ing at one end on\ said insulating plug, said with successive sections, of said coil y en second me'ntioned s leeve having a spiral gagement with that. "it of said coil exposed slot extending longitudinaJly of the casing, to the teeth by sai spiral slot when said said coil being fixed at one end in said inshaft is rotated and a lever fixed to said sulating lug andat its opposite end to the shaft without the casing for rotating said other. end of said second mentioned insulatshaft and brush. a ing sleevefa shfft coaxial within said cas- 5. A dimming device adapted to be inter-- ing bearing at one end said i-nfsulating posed in the line circuit of electric lights for block and at its otherrertid'fin th other end motorvehicles comprising a casing, a helical. closing cap, a' brush device fixed to said shaft, brush device having longitudilating sleeve between said coil and easing, nallyppziced flexible teeth which are adapted an insulating-plug-in one ,end of said casing to be brought' into engagement with sucand having a metallic contact. member in cessive sections of said coil by engagement eng ment with said casing an insulating wit-h that part of said coil exposed to the within said coil and at one teeth by said spiral slot when said shaft is end on said lug and bein fixed at its other rotated, a spring surrounding said shaft beend to said rst mentione insulating sleeve, tween said to closing'cap and said brush said second mentioned sleeve having a spiral and a handle xed to said shaft without the slot extending longitudinally of the casing, casing for rotati'n the shaft. said coil-being fixed at one end in said in- In testimony, t atI, claim. the foregoing sulating plug and at its other eiid-to said as my invention I aifix my signature in the slotted insulating .sleeve, ashaft coaxial presenceof two witnesses, this 6th day of within said casing and havin rotativqbear- -November A. D. 1916. ing at one end in said ins ating plug, a 1

brush device fixed to said shaft, avin ROY longitudinally spaced flexible teeth whic Witnesses? are adapted to'be brought into engagement T. H. .Anrnnos, withsuccessive sections of said coil by en- KARL DAI L.

the casing for rotating said 

